Not just the fireworks and pyrotechnics display that came with the introduction of the new Bradley University mascot Saturday night before the men’s basketball game, but also the name of the muscular-looking gargoyle.

“It fits in the sweet spot between powerful, fierce, intimidating and approachable,” Bradley athletics director Dr. Michael Cross said. “I don’t know if I’d use the word cuddly, because it’s a rock, when it’s all said and done, but it’s something that will work very well in different settings.”

Kaboom! was modeled after the gargoyle, The Thinker, which watches over Bradley’s west side of campus, and sits atop the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center. Since the school’s beginning, gargoyles have been a fixture among architecture on Bradley’s campus, most prominently on the school’s marquee building, Bradley Hall.

(Not to split hairs, but by definition, gargoyles feature a spout through the mouth to spray water away from the sides of buildings, where as a grotesque, like The Thinker, does not have a spout.)

The private university had been without an actual mascot since 2000, when it officially rid itself of the bobcat. Braves, Bradley’s nickname since the 1920s, will remain, reassured Cross.

“We are not changing our nickname,” Cross said. “We are the Bradley Braves and will continue to the Bradley Braves.”

Reaction to the unveiling was mixed around Carver Arena.

As kids, ages 6 to 12 waited in line to take pictures with Kaboom! during halftime, they described the mascot as ‘cool’, ‘buff’, ‘weird’, and ‘funny-looking’. Others said it looked like a ‘stone dragon’, ‘a grey bat’ and ‘a monster with muscles’.

But Gus Temple maybe summed it up best.

“It’s not that it’s a bad thing, it’s just really unexpected,” the 12-year-old said.

Bradley students weren’t as kind. Many booed from the fan section, while some took to Twitter almost immediately following the reveal.

“(Be right back) transferring… I don’t wanna be a gargogyle….” Kayla Peterson (@Kay_Petey) tweeted along with a picture of Kaboom! during its intro.

Cross said Kaboom! will be something that’s representative not just of athletics, but of the entire institution. During Bradley’s rebranding in the past 18 months, the university changed its official logo to a red and white shield featuring the letter “B”.

One thing, though, was missing.

“We got a lot of feedback throughout the process about interest in having a mascot,” Cross said. “We heard very and loud and clear from students. We heard very and loud clear from faculty, staff and from alumni that was important piece of what they wanted to see Bradley have in its representation.”

After deciding on a gargoyle, Bradley then started an online campaign in November for naming the mascot. Kaboom! is the signature phrase from Bradley play-by-play voice Dave Snell, who has used the word to define slam dunks since 1979.

According to a university release, “the descriptor (Kaboom!) can be used to emphasize the success of all Bradley University students and their wide-ranging activities of excellence.”

“I put in Gabriel, that was my choice,” Snell said with a laugh. “They came to me about three weeks ago and told me what it was going to be . … It’s a nice honor.”

Adam Duvall can be reached at 686-3207 or aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.